the music videos that made 2009

While the music staff here at Auxiliary is busy getting their big end of the decade music feature ready for the December issue release, its up to me, your official victim of multimedia consumption to bring you, my loyal readers, my picks for the top videos of the year. These stunning combinations of sound and motion are in no particular ranking.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Heads Will Roll

Directed by Richard Ayoade (yes, Moss from The IT Crowd) the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ unusually danceable single from earlier this year brings the violence in a glamorous way. A werewolf with MJ moves slaughters the entire crowd and the band in spouts of blood red confetti. It’s the most glamourous massacre I have ever seen. Karen O and and the boys are at the top of their game here.

Stark black and white that builds to bombastic bursts of color, violence, and metamorphosis. This video recently blasted onto my radar and has since become one of my top choices for video of the year if not the decade. The animation style is fresh, different, and extremely eye catching.

Bat for Lashes – Daniel

Over the years we have come to expect great videos from Bat for Lashes, stunning camera work and beautiful art coalesce to create a beautiful but very dark video. But we wouldn’t expect anything less from this act.

Lady Gaga – Paparazzi

A mini movie starring Gaga and Alexander Skarsgård (Eric from HBO’s True Blood) that mixes hints of Hitchcock with stellar style and art direction to create a memorable piece of video. Especially notable is her Sorayama Hajime inspired all metal outfit.

ISIS – 20Minutes / 40Years

This Matt Santoro directed video is an eerie combination of landscape and biological elements. There is something about the fluid nature of the movement in the video interspersed with the swells, spikes, and crashes, and births that creates an unusual and abstract feeling – much like ISIS’ music.